


Moments Between Us

by sbstevenson2



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, OQ Prompt Party 2019
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-03-20 10:04:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18990472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sbstevenson2/pseuds/sbstevenson2
Summary: Collection of OutlawQueen one shots written for OQ Prompt Party 2019.





	1. Best Day Ever

**_Monday: “Best Day Ever”_ **

_ 2\. Roland’s first lost tooth.    _

_ 8. _ _ The first time Roland calls Regina “mama”.    _

_ 31.  _ _ Quiet times near the fireplace _

{********************************}

“Papa! Mama!” Roland yells from his bedroom.

Regina and Robin rush toward him, Robin scooping him up in his arms. “What is it, my boy?” he asks with concern.

“Are you alright?” Regina asks in unison with her boyfriend’s question. 

They’ve been together for a year now, having just decided over dinner tonight that she should move in with him and his son. They’d been ecstatic, Roland clapping his hands and exclaiming this was the,  _ Best night ever! _ which caused both adults to laugh. 

“I’m fine!” he giggles, his dimples popping out on his cheeks. God, she loves those dimples. It’s a trait he inherited from Robin, and both sets make her go weak (for entirely different reasons). “My tooth fell out!”

He holds his tiny palm up and open, moving it closer to Regina’s face. “See!”

She smiles, shoulders relaxing as she realizes he hadn’t had a nightmare or was in danger. “That’s wonderful!” she beams, leaning over to place a kiss to his pudgy cheek.

Robin grins down at his son, holding him tightly as he walks over to Roland’s bed, the sheets adorned with tiny foxes and camping tents wrinkled and pushed down to the foot of the bed.

“I was just layin’ there,” he explains, situating himself back onto the mattress. Regina moves to the opposite side of the bed from Robin, taking the sheet and pulling it up to Roland’s grip. “I was wigglin’ my tongue on my tooth and it just popped out!”

Robin chuckles, saying, “It’s a good thing you caught it in time and didn’t swallow it.”

Roland’s eyes bug out, looking from his father over to her. She smiles slightly, trying to contain her laughter at his shock. “I didn’t even think of that!” Roland declares in horror. “ _ Then _ how would the tooth fairy know where to find me!?”

“Oh,” Regina says, smoothing down his unruly curls and ushering him to lay back down. “The tooth fairy is very smart. She would have still found you.”

The little boy breathes a sigh of relief, his eyes closing involuntarily as he fights it, reaching up to rub at his eyes as he tells them about how his friend at school got  _ five whole dollars _ for his tooth. 

Regina catches Robin’s eyes, both giving each other an incredulous look, knowing Robin would never pay that much for a tooth. 

She smiles, leaning down to whisper in Roland’s ear that they need to put the tooth under his pillow.

“Oh yeah!” he perks up, reaching his hand out toward Robin. 

Robin opens his palm, dropping the tooth from his hand to his son’s. Roland twists, shoving the tooth under his plush pillow and murmuring something about hoping it doesn’t get lost. 

“I’m sure it won’t,” Robin assures him, “The fairy will be here soon enough, my boy, I can just feel it.”

Regina smiles watching him talk to his son about imaginary fairies. They’re so adorable. And she once again thanks her lucky stars that she bumped into Robin in a crowded sandwich shop over a year ago. They’d struck up a friendship, and before long they’re friendship had blossomed into an attraction neither one could deny. He’d asked her out and the rest is history. She’s happier now than she’s ever been, and she knows the two boys in front of her are the reason for that joy that she never thought she’d have again after Daniel’s accident that left her a widow almost a decade ago. 

Robin touches her hand lightly, pulling her from her thoughts. She smiles over at him, and he tilts his head down, indicating that Roland was already fast asleep. 

They share a quiet chuckle, and Robin stands, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a dollar bill from his wallet. “This is all I have,” he shrugs, making an amused face. 

Regina breathes out a laugh, assuring him it’ll be fine. She bends down, carefully removing the tooth from beneath Roland’s head as Robin slips the dollar in its place. 

They carefully make their way from the bedroom, sighing in relief when the boy doesn’t wake up. 

Once in the living room, Robin pulls Regina into his arms, placing a tender kiss to the top of her head. “I love you,” he declares.

“And I love you,” she promises, standing on her tiptoes to place a kiss to his cheek. They stand there, wrapped in each other’s arms, enjoying the silence in his, about to be  _ their,  _ apartment as the fireplace crackles beside them. 

Pulling apart, Robin makes his way over to the kitchen, taking out two wine glasses. He nods his head in the direction of them, and Regina nods in agreement. 

She settles onto the couch, soaking up the heat from the fire as she clicks play on the movie they’d paused when Roland had called out to them. Robin joins her soon enough, handing her a glass of red to enjoy. 

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Robin’s arm draped over her shoulders, she sits up, placing her glass on the coffee table.

She turns to face him, and he gives her a confused look. “Everything alright, love?”

Grinning, she nods, trying to fight back the tears that are suddenly finding their way to her eyes. “Did you hear him?” Robin looks toward the hallway, and she giggles. “No, earlier. When he called out to us…”

Robin thinks back, clearly recalling his son’s words when a large smile breaks out onto his face. He bites down on his lip, his pearly white teeth digging into the flesh. She looks down at his lip, suddenly wanting to kiss it desperately. “He called you  _ Mama _ .”

She nods tearfully, leaning in to kiss his lips. He returns it while simultaneously placing his wine glass on the table to join hers. He sits back, still moving his lips against hers and pulls Regina closer to his body. 

Regina deepens the kiss, drawing a moan from Robin’s throat, and she smiles into their embrace. She loves this man, loves his son, loves this life they’ve built together. “Is that okay with you?” she asks timidly when she pulls back, never wanting to replace his late wife, Marian, in any way. 

Having lost a spouse was something that bonded them so quickly when they first met. They understood each other, and how difficult it was to get back out there. Daniel had been gone almost seven years back then, and Marian four, having died in childbirth. It was a hard situation, one that no one as young as they are should have to experience. You always imagine growing old with the person you marry. But now Regina realizes that some people are in your life for only a season, teaching you great things to take with you for the rest of your life.

Daniel had been there through their teenage years, helping her deal with an overbearing mother. They’d grown together, gone to college and gotten married. He’d taught her how to be herself once she was out from under Cora’s roof, and he taught her how to love. She was forever thankful for her first love, for without him, she wouldn’t have been able to love Robin the way she does. 

Robin’s head tilts to the side, giving her a caring smile. “Of course it is, my love,” he vows, pressing a light peck to her lips. “Roland loves you. You are the only mother he’s ever known.” They smile sadly at one another, thinking back to the beautiful brunette woman she’s only ever seen pictures of. “Marian would have loved you. I think she’d be thrilled to know such an amazing woman is going to help raise our son.”

Those tears from earlier, which she thought she’d dried away, come back full force. A few trickle down her cheek, and she reaches up, wiping them away. Regina sniffles out a wet chuckle, nodding in his direction when he asks if she’s okay. 

They sit there, tears now in Robin’s eyes as well, and smile at one another, soaking up all the love flowing between them.

A log in the fireplace pops, making Regina jump. They laugh, and she shakes her head, thankful for the break in such a serious moment. “Come here,” Robin whispers, pulling her to him. 

She settles against his chest, snuggling into the warmth of his embrace as the heat from the fire soothes their souls. They finish the movie before heading off to bed, and as they discuss plans for moving her belongings in once her lease ends next month, she can’t help but think that Roland was right in her earlier assessment. This really is the best day ever.   
  


{************************}

_ Thoughts? _


	2. Honest and True

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Party 2019: Prompt #76 - OQ falling asleep on the couch together.

**Tuesday: “Honest and True”**

  1. _OQ falling asleep on the couch together_



 

Henry huffs out, pulling his backpack from the back seat of his mom’s yellow bug. Waving a goodbye, he jogs to the front door of his other mom’s white mansion. He loves this house. Everytime he walks in, he just feels like he’s  _ home _ . He grew up here, and he’s so glad his mom adopted him. 

“Mom!” he calls out when he walks in, locking the door behind him. He gets no reply, so he sets off in search of his mom and Robin. It’s not late, but late enough that Roland would already be asleep upstairs in the guest room, so he tries not to yell too loud, fearing he might wake up the young boy and irritate his mother. 

Walking into the living room, he stops, smiling down at the sight in front of him. His mom and Robin are asleep on the couch, cuddled together underneath the blanket he’d bought her for Christmas two years ago. Robin’s arm is around her waist and his mom has a small smile on her face as she slumbers, something he’s never seen before. She’s so content in Robin’s presence, and Henry is filled with joy all over again that they found each other. 

Walking over to the fireplace that is burning low, he scoops up the ashes with the metal shovel and douses out what little bit of flames are left. The room is cast in a darkness except for the moonlight shining through the large bay window behind the couch.

He makes his way over to the sofa, bending down to press a soft kiss upon his mom’s forehead. Straightening up, he smiles down at her and her boyfriend once more, happy she’s finally found someone to love who loves her back just as fiercely. She deserves it more than anyone after what she’s been through in her long lifetime. His mom has never let anyone in since Cora crushed Daniel’s heart in the Enchanted Forest when she was just a young girl. Except for him. His mom has always loved him, even when he acted like a brat and pushed her away. But that’s what moms do, he supposes, they love you through every stage of life.

His mom stirs, mumbling something, and Robin tightens his grip on her, murmuring out a tired, “We should go t’bed, Regina,” causing Henry to stifle a chuckle. 

His mom nods, yawning out a sleepy,  _ Mmkay, _ before snuggling into the thief’s chest even deeper. 

Smirking, Henry shakes his head and makes his way out of the living room. As he walks up the stairs, skipping the fourth from the top that always makes the loudest squeak, Henry thinks about his mom and Robin. 

He may only be seventeen, but he knows love like that doesn’t come around often.  _ Soulmates _ is what his mom calls it, and thinking back on how tenderly Robin has loved her since coming into their lives, Henry knows it’s a special type a love. A type of love only fated in fairy tales, he thinks, but he hopes to one day find that kind of passion to share with someone. A love that is honest, deep... and true.


	3. Best One Yet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina hates her birthday... until Robin makes it extra special.

**Wednesday: “Best One Yet”**

  1. _Regina hates celebrating her birthday. Robin finds out and does something special for her;_ _91._ _Robin surprises Regina with a dog/cat as a birthday gift; 120._ _Robin gives Regina a ring._



{**************************}

Today sucks. It always does. Regina hates February 1st. It’s her birthday, though she’d rather forget it and move on like a regular day. But people like Mary Margret won’t let that happen. She’d been interrupted at work with several texts from the annoying girl wishing her a happy birthday and asking if they were going to celebrate this week (which she promptly responded to with a definitive,  _ No. _ )

Her birthday has always been a terrible day. Growing up, her mother, Cora, always threw a ball or some type of high class dinner party, always searching for the perfect suitor to take Regina off her hands. She would be forced into dresses far too tight for her teenage frame and would have to dance with every eligible man that came through the doors, no matter his age, when all she wanted was to run off with Daniel, ride through the forest and sit by the lake watching the stars in the sky. 

It was horrible.

When Cora had accepted King Leopold’s proposal and she’d been thrust into the spotlight as the new Queen Regina, she was at least thankful the awful birthday parties would end. No more men clamoring to dance with her and win her heart. 

How wrong she’d been. The men were no longer trying to claim her heart, for in their eyes, she belonged to the King (and she did, belong to him, she had no choice but to act as if she loved the man old enough to be her father). 

Leopold used her birthday as the perfect excuse to throw a ball  _ in her honor _ , though each year it seemed more and more attention was bestowed upon Snow White and her sweet, innocent,  _ disgusting _ , face. Her birthday celebrations were just another way for the King to fawn over his young daughter and make her the center of attention while Regina sat by herself surrounded by presents from people she didn’t even know.

Once she was rid of the king and able to cast her curse, she never celebrated. Living in Storybrooke was nice, peaceful, and she never had to worry about anyone throwing her a large birthday bash. 

When Henry was younger, she’d been forced to tell him when her birthday was when he asked. She could never deny her little prince anything, not even that, though she told him begrudgingly. 

Henry had always tried to make her birthday special, despite knowing how much she hated it. He would laugh in amusement, under the impression that she didn’t like it because it meant she was getting older, and tell her they at least had to do  _ something _ . He would make her little cards at school or buy her small gifts with what little allowance money he had. It was sweet, and always brought a smile to her face. Her son was like that - always thinking of others. He was her bright spot in a dark world. 

This year, however, had started off quite differently. Robin was spoiling her this morning, lavishing more attention to her than she normally accepts on this  _ special _ day. Their first year together, just before the day rolled around, she had confessed to him late one night as they lay naked in bed together just why she hated her birthday so much. He’d simply placed a kiss to her bare shoulder, trailing his fingertips up her torso, over her breast, and up to her neck, causing goosebumps to cover her skin, as he promised he’d make her learn to love her birthday. And, bless him, he has tried - giving her gifts, convincing her last year to take the day off to spend with the boys, he’s even mentioned taking her on a trip one year. 

She’d rolled her eyes then, but she has to admit, the breakfast in bed he’d woken her with today was a nice surprise. He’d laid beside her, talking softly, as she enjoyed the pancakes and bacon he had prepared. 

Regina had finished her food, gotten ready and rushed off to work after giving him a thankful kiss at the bottom of the stairs. She’d spent the whole day working, ignoring her texts from Mary Margaret, and smiling at the pictures Robin sent of Henry and Roland playing on the playground together after school. 

When she’d walked into their house that night, Robin, Roland and Henry were all standing in the kitchen with a huge, homemade banner hanging above the sink, displaying the words,  _ Happy Day! _

She laughed at the wording, noticing Roland had added a teeny tiny ‘ _ birthday’ _ in between the two larger words. Walking further into the kitchen, she made her way over to all three of them, placing kisses to her boys’ cheeks and a deeper one to Robin’s lips. 

“Something smells amazing,” she exclaims, scooping Roland up into her arms and placing him on her hip. The little boy giggles, his dimples sinking into his cheeks as he wraps his legs around her waist. Regina leans in, pretending to eat the indentions right off his face, causing him to squeal with laughter and bury his head into the crook of her neck.

“We made lasagna, Mom!” Henry calls, proudly motioning toward the pan that sits atop the oven. 

She inhales deeply, telling them that it smells wonderful. Setting Roland down, she walks over to Robin, wrapping her arms around his middle.

“Hello, love,” her murmurs, pressing his nose softly against hers. 

She returns the gesture, a symbol of love they’ve created over the years, just one more way to say  _ I love you _ without having to speak the words. 

They’d already set the table, so all she has to do is sit down and enjoy, according to all her boys. Robin pours her a glass of wine while the boys settle at the table with glasses of water. Robin serves everyone their portion of the cheesy pasta, while Regina dishes out salad and fresh fruit for them to have.

The four of them spend the next hour and a half laughing, talking, and simply enjoying being a family. It’s nice, she decides, birthday or no birthday, she loves being here with her family - wishes Robyn could’ve joined them, but Zelena had taken her to Oz for a few days to visit now that they’d discovered how to travel so easily between the realms, which is fine. They’ll have the baby for an entire week when she gets back, and Regina can’t wait. She loves having a baby in the house again. She is so thankful that all the villains that could attack their sleepy little town seem to have gone away since they defeated Hades so many months ago. Everyone finally feels safe again, and she thanks whatever god is out there that she was able to poof her and Robin from her office that horrible day. 

She smiles as she takes the last bite of her food, listening to Roland chatter on about what he’d learned in school today. He was still so excited to be attending a real school, just like Henry had done his whole life. The little boy was picking up on the alphabet and reading quicker than anyone imagined, and thoroughly loved having stories read to him (usually by his big brother). 

Robin takes her hand, giving it a light squeeze. She looks over, winking in his direction as they listen to Henry tell them about the colleges he’s considering when school ends in May. He’s already applied to a few outside of Maine, causing Regina’s heart to crack, but Robin had been there to remind her that he could always come to visit no matter what college he chose. 

A homemade cake, covered in sprinkles at the bottom with long candles on top is brought out, surpringing Regina once more when Roland reveals they’d baked it after school, and with a  _ little _ help from Granny, had been able to cover it perfectly in Regina’s favorite buttercream icing. She giggles at the young boy’s elation, smiling over at Robin and Henry before taking the first bite. It was magnificent, and Regina assured them all of that fact when Henry asked her if she liked it.

After dinner, Robin runs her a warm bath, letting her relax while he and the boys clean up the kitchen. She can’t complain with that, not having had to cook or clean is the best gift anyone could give her - no matter the occasion. 

Once out of her bath, she changes into her comfiest pajamas and pads over to Roland and Henry’s bedrooms to wish them goodnight, planting kisses to both their faces. After tucking in her sons, she makes her way to their bedroom.

A small laugh bubbles out of her throat when she turns around from shutting the door. Robin is on the bed, waiting for her in a pair of deep red boxers. He’s laying on his side, head resting in the palm of one hand. Biting down on her lip, she waggles her eyebrows playfully, making her way over to the bed. 

Regina runs her hand along his bicep, leaning down to kiss his lips.  

Before the kiss can grow, though, Robin pulls back, swinging his legs around his side of the bed and bending down. “I got you a present,” he grunts, seeming to fight with whatever gift he has stashed underneath. 

Her eyebrows pinch in confusion, stating, “You didn’t have to get me anything, Robin.” Sighing, as he mumbles an,  _ I know, I know _ , she tells him that breakfast in bed and a nice family dinner were more than enough of a birthday gift for her. 

She sits back against the headboard, knowing it’s no use in arguing with him. He’s gotten her a gift and that’s that. “Close your eyes,” he tells her, and she complies, a smirk growing on her face. 

Before he can tell her to open, she hears deep, panting breaths coming from something other than her boyfriend. Her eyes pop open when the top of her hand gets licked, and she looks down to see a tiny, gray pitbull puppy with white spots on his feet, nose and underbelly. “Robin!” she squeals in excitement, sitting up straighter as the puppy roams around the bed, giving a tiny yelp of a bark in excitement. 

She scoops the puppy into her arms, kissing the top of his head as she looks over to Robin. “You didn’t!” 

He laughs, that deep belly laughter that makes her go weak at the knees. They’ve been discussing getting a dog lately, ever since Roland came home from school a few months ago begging for one. Regina had to finally admit that she, too, wanted one in the house. David and Mary Margaret had adopted a dog from the shelter a year ago, and ever since then, she’d been toying with the idea. “He’s adorable,” she beams, holding the tiny dog up to her face. 

His puppy breath wafts into her nostrils and she giggles, placing kisses all over his tiny face. She pulls back, looking more closely at the pup. “Robin, is this….” she trails off, eyes watering at she looks over at Robin once more. 

He nods, confirming, “It’s the one just born at the shelter two months ago.” There’d been a pregnant pitbull at the animal shelter where Robin works, and she’d given birth to a litter of adorable puppies eight weeks prior. Regina and Roland had been making special trips some afternoons after school to see Robin and visit the puppies, and she’d fallen in love with this one in particular. He was the sweetest, and clamest, of the bunch, and she just felt drawn to him. Like he was always meant to be a part of their family. 

“What are we going to name this little guy?” she asks in a high pitched voice, setting him down in her lap as she strokes his back. 

“The shelter named him Bandit because they thought the white around his eyes looked like a mask,” Robin laughs, pointing to the pup’s face, “but I figured we’d let the boys choose a different one if they want to.”

Regina nods, saying she likes the name, mainly because it reminds her of her thief, but agrees that the boys can change it if they don’t like it.

The puppy turns onto his back then, seemingly asking for a belly rub.

Regina and Robin both laugh at him, and she reaches out, scratching his chubby little belly. She looks over to Robin, smiling brightly and telling him to rub the puppy too. As he does, Regina looks back down at their newest family member and notices something on the dog’s collar. 

Her hand stops moving as she picks the puppy up once more. Robin sits back, a smirk on his face as Regina ducks down to get a better view of his collar. There, sitting atop the silver bone that has their address engraved on it, is a ring. A gold band with a large, sparkling diamond surrounded by a halo of smaller ones. 

Tears instantly spring to her eyes as she unclips the ring from the collar. “Robin?” she asks in awe, holding the ring up and looking over to him with tears shining in her eyes. 

He’s sitting there, criss cross on the bed watching her. He’s got the goofiest grin on his face that she’s ever seen, and she can’t help but match it with one of her own. 

“We’ve conquered so much together over the last two years,” he begins, taking the ring from her. The puppy hops off her lap, sniffing around the mattress before settling at the foot of the bed where Robin had placed a chew toy. “We have been tested, pushed to the brink, and still came back together stronger than ever.”

She nods at his words, thinking over the trials they’ve been through with Marian coming back, him taking Roland to New York, and every discovery that came with that particular piece of heartbreak. After everything, Zelena and her pregnancy, the Underworld and defeating the God of Death himself, they still love each other deeper than they ever thought they could love another person. 

“I love you, Regina,” he says so sincerely it makes her heart swell, and tears form in his eyes. 

Her vision is clouded by her own tears as she tells him how much she loves him too. Regina leans over, pressing a kiss to his lips, and he returns the gesture, deepening their embrace briefly before pulling back.

“I can’t imagine mine and Roland’s life without you or Henry in it. You’ve made us so happy - you’ve made me happier than I ever thought I could be again after losing Marian so long ago.”

She nods again, knowing she feels exactly the same way. She never thought she’d have this kind of love ever again, but here he is, loving her so completely that she sometimes can’t believe he’s real.

“I once told you that you are my future,” he continues, smiling over at her. He takes her left hand in his, giving it a loving squeeze before bringing it to his lips to place a soft peck to her knuckles. “And you are. I meant it then, and I mean it now. Regina,” he take a deep breath, blinking his tears away, “will you marry me?”

Her tears stream down her face as she nods vigorously, unable to speak for the moment. She clears her throat, declaring a heartfelt, “Yes, yes, of course I’ll marry you.”

Robin beams, slipping the gorgeous ring onto her finger. It’s a perfect fit, just like he is for her, and she’s overwhelmed with the amount of love she has for this man. 

The puppy yelps then, bounding over to where Regina is now straddling Robin’s lap, kissing him passionately. They break apart, laughing through their elated tears as Robin brings the puppy to sit in between them. Regina slides off his lap to make room for the dog, and they settle into the bed, cuddling together with the puppy between them. They spend the next hour discussing possible names for the dog to suggest to the kids, Regina examining her ring, and talking about having a small wedding surrounded only by their sons and their closest friends. 

Robin regretfully climbs out of bed, placing Bandit in his crate that they will use for the first few months and bidding him a goodnight before placing the thin blanket over it to give him some privacy. 

He joins her back in bed, and just before Regina finally drifts off to sleep, Robin whispers, “Happy birthday, my love,” and she smiles. A perfectly happy birthday indeed. Maybe February 1st isn’t so bad afterall. 

{************************}

_ Thoughts? :) _


	4. Dance the Night Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #55: Robin catches Regina full on dancing around the kitchen while making dinner.

**_Thursday: “Dance the Night Away”_ **

  1. _Robin catches Regina full on dancing around the kitchen while making dinner._



 

He uses the key she’d just given him a few months ago to enter her apartment. Robin loves his girlfriend, he’s so lucky to have found her. They’d met two years ago outside the courthouse. She had just won her latest case and was exiting the building when she bumped into him, causing him to smash the freshly placed mustard of his hotdog onto his tie. 

Robin had stopped at the little hotdog stand just outside the courthouse on his way back to work in the next building over. She’d apologized profusely, saying she was texting a client and wasn’t watching where she was going. Once she’d looked into his eye, though, her chocolate brown orbs piercing his soul, he couldn’t stay mad. He’d thankfully been thinking on his toes, and replied with a,  _ “That’s alright. Here’s my number so I can bill you for the dry cleaning.” _

She’d smirked at that, sighing out in relief at his attempt to be charming. They’d exchanged numbers and began dating a month later after several amazing dates to get to know one another. 

As he walks through the apartment, dropping his things off in the entryway, he can hear music coming from the kitchen. “Regina?” he asks, never having heard her play music so loudly outside of the car before. 

He walks down the short hallway, leaning his shoulder against the door jamb and smiling dumbly as he watches his very serious, lawyer girlfriend dance around to Michael Jackson’s,  _ Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough _ . She’s in nothing but a pair of boyshorts and one of his t-shirts, and Robin thinks to himself that she’s never looked lovelier. 

He loves this side of her, so carefree. He doesn’t get to see it often, she’s normally so bogged down with work, but every now and then she’ll let loose - usually when he forces her to leave the office early and takes her somewhere fun.

Regina picks up a spatula, turning it upside down and singing into the handle as she moves around, doing her best impression of the moonwalk. She jumps up, arms waving in the air, then plants her feet back down, doing a quick turn accompanied by a high pitched, “Ow!” as she impersonates the King of Pop. 

When she spins, she catches sight of him, freezing mid-dance move as her eyes widen. She places the spatula down on the marble island, tugging his shirt down a touch and pausing the music on her phone. The bluetooth speaker the tune had been blaring out of goes quiet, and Robin laughs, tossing his keys on the island next to her impromptu microphone. 

He scoops her up in his arms, wrapping them around her waist and swaying her around the kitchen as he hums his own song. 

“I didn’t know you liked to dance,” he states, planting a kiss to her lips. He’s seen her dance on a few occasions, normally inside a fancy restaurant they’d gone to for date night, but never anything this… wild. He loves it. And he wants to see her dance like this more often.

Her face flushes, and she tucks it into his shoulder, mumbling, “Only when no one is around. I’m a terrible dancer.”

“Nonsense,” he grins, reaching over to click play on her phone again. As the music streams out, Robin pushes back from her body, taking her hands in his and twirling her around the kitchen.

Despite her best efforts, Regina laughs, that radiant laugh that she only lets bubble out every now and then, the one that comes out when she’s completely comfortable. He loves that he can bring that laugh out in her. Fuck, he loves this woman so much. 

He spins her around again, lifting their hands in the air, then slowly releasing them as he brings their arms down. He steps away from Regina, hopping and doing his own version of a moonwalk, and she giggles, telling him he’s doing it wrong. “Am I now?” he asks incredulously.

Regina nods, snickering once more, and shows him how it’s really done. They dance around, twirling and laughing as they circle the kitchen island until the oven timer goes off. 

He sits at the bar stool, catching his breath as she bends to take the food out of the oven. “Christ woman,” he groans, catching a perfect glimpse of her ass cheeks in those boyshort underwear she wears to taunt him. “You’ll be the death of me one of these days.”

She sets the pan of what looks like baked chicken and rice down on the stove top and turns, a sultry smirk planted on her face. “Will I?” she ask seductively as she slithers over to his side of the island. He turns on his stool as she comes to stand in between his legs. 

He leans in, pressing his lips to hers deeply. It must surprise her because it draws a quick,  _ Mmm! _ from the back of her throat, before she turns it into a sexy moan. She tangles her fingers in the hair at the base of his neck, pulling him closer. They spend the next few moments wrapped in each other before she pulls back, licking her lips. “Are you ready to eat?”

Robin grins, twitching his head to the side as he groans. “Yeah, but not chicken.” He stands, taking her in his arms and lifting her up bridal style as she giggles and presses soft kisses and sucks to his neck. 

“Robin,” she laughs, “The food will get cold.”

Shaking his head, he presses another kiss to her lips and declares, “We can heat it up later,” before sucking on the pulse point just below her ear - the spot he knows drives her wild with lust for him.

Moaning, Regina nods, murmuring out an,  _ Alright, sounds good _ , as he makes his way to her bedroom. 

“I love you,” he whispers on their way to the bed, and she promises her love right back to him. 

Later, after they’ve shown the other just how much they adore one another, they heat the chicken back up, enjoying it as Robin teases her once again, saying he should come over early more often if he’ll get to see her dance around half naked.

“Shut up,” she giggles, rolling her eyes. 

And as they clean up the kitchen together, Regina turns on the music, this time to a slow song, and they dance the night away wrapped in each other’s arms.

{***********************}

_ Thoughts? :) _


	5. All Grown Up

**Friday: “All Grown Up”**

  1. _Robin and Regina’s daughter’s first prom_



She’s beautiful. Regina and Sophie both. 

Regina talks softly to their daughter as she brushes through Sophie’s long, raven hair. She looks so much like her mother, and always has. The only thing she inherited from him are her dimples, the rest is completely her mother. His little girl is all grown up now and preparing to go to her senior prom. 

Robin smiles watching his girls together. They’ve always shared such a sweet bond. Sophie is a great mixture of the two of them - strong and independent like Regina, honorable with a love for the outdoors like him - but despite having so much of her parents inside her, she is truly her own person. 

She’ll be leaving for college in a month, leaving him and Regina to deal with their empty nest syndrome, and Robin isn’t quite ready to say goodbye to his little girl just yet. 

_ “Papa, you’re doing it wrong,” Sophie protests, squirming on the kitchen stool as Robin attempts to braid her hair back. It utterly confuses him that he can’t seem to wrangle a handful of hair into a twist. It shouldn’t be that hard; he’s seen his wife do it a thousand times, and it looks so easy.  _

_ He ties the rubberband around the end, smiling triumphantly at his handy work. It’s a bit messy, there’s a few pieces sticking out in random places, but it’s up. That’s what counts, right? His little girl doesn’t seem to agree as she feels it with her hand, glancing into the mirror that rests on the counter top. She twists her lips, giving him an encouraging smile, one that seems to say ‘at least you tried,’ and he laughs, shaking his head.  _

_ Shrugging, he tells her, “This will have to do, little love. It was all in your face.” He sighs, looking at his creation. “Its… it’s not so bad,” he claims, trying to sound confident. “At least it’ll stay out of your eyes for archery practice.”   _

_ Sophie gawks at him, a tiny pout too reminiscent of her mother’s to be anything but comical, and shakes her head, causing a few loosely braided strands to fall from their confinement. He stares in shock, bringing a hand to rub down his face, scratching at his jaw. “Guess I’ll have to try again,” he says, blowing out a dramatic breath that causes Sophie to giggle.  _

_ Reaching up to take out the rubber band and undo what’s left of his braid, he can’t help but to laugh along with her. “One more try,” he chuckles, beginning to brush through her hair and part it into sections once more. _

_ Regina stands at the stove, cooking eggs for her family, and looks over her shoulder, giving Robin a warm smile. She rolls her eyes when she sees the poor attempt at a braid he’s making again, setting the spatula down as she plates the eggs. “Let me do it,” she laughs. _

_ Sophie giggles, looking up to Robin. “Mama can teach you how to do it, Papa!” _

_ The three of them chuckle, turning to greet Roland and Henry as they zombie walk into the kitchen, not quite ready to start their early day.  _

_ “I’m going to learn,” Robin declares indignantly. “If it’s the last thing I do.” _

_ Regina snickers, leaning up to press a soft peck to his lips. “You will, babe, you will.” She pats him on the shoulder, stepping in front of him and taking the brush from his hands as she fixes the messy braid he’d already concocted this morning.  _

Regina pins Sophie’s hair back, smiling softly at him through the mirror when they catch each other’s gazes. 

He winks at Regina, remembering how many times his wife had shown him how to braid their daughter’s hair. He’d finally gotten it right, became quite the braid master if he does say so himself, and found himself doing his daughter’s hair most mornings while Regina got ready for work. Smiling at the memory, he takes a step into the room, telling his daughter how beautiful she looks. She giggles and says she doesn’t even have her dress on yet, but he vows he doesn’t need to see it to know she’ll be the most stunning girl in the room. 

Robin makes his way downstairs, greeting the Charmings as they arrive with their son, Neal. He’s dressed in a black tux with a mint green tie to match Sophie’s dress. He looks nervous and Robin smiles, patting him on the back. 

Regina descends the stairs, joining the rest in the foyer. She hugs Snow and David and plants a kiss to Neal’s cheek, telling him Sophie will be down in a second. 

The boy’s jaw drops as the teenage girl appears. Her long, mint colored dress flows behind her. The top is strapless, but not overly sexy,  _ Thank the gods _ . It’s covered in white lace that cascades down onto the mint, poofy skirt of the dress. He doesn’t know what all the terms his wife and daughter have spewed out since the day they picked the dress mean - sweetheart neck, tulle, lace overlay… but despite not knowing what it all means, he knows his daughter is the most gorgeous girl there is (besides his wife, of course). He truly doesn’t know how he got so lucky. 

They take pictures of the young couple, and as Regina snaps her camera and Snow cries, saying how beautiful they are, Robin leans his shoulder against the door frame, watching his baby girl. 

He can still remember the first time she said  _ Papa _ and how his whole world had lit up and changed forever, and now here she is, dating a wonderful young man and planning a future at college. 

_ “There you are,” he beams, bending down to join his little girl on the carpet in her playroom.  _

_ She’s playing with the new dolls she’d gotten for Christmas, and she holds one up. “Play with me, Papa!” _

_ He chuckles, reaching down to pick up the Ken doll that rests next to her tiny foot. He gives said foot a light tickle, causing her contagious laughter to blossom out of her. They spend the next hour taking Barbie and Ken on adventures from the sea, to the Enchanted Forest, to the mall, and anywhere in between. He doesn’t know where she comes up with all of these ideas, but he loves these little moments of playful imagination.  _

_ He leans in, placing a kiss to the top of her head before standing, saying, “I’m going to help your mum make dinner.” _

_ Sophie gives him a nod, picking up his discarded Ken and murmuring something about needing to change his outfit before going to Wonderland.  _

_ Robin shakes his head, chuckling under his breath as he watches his daughter get lost in her own world again. _

_ “Love you, Papa,” she states, grinning up at him, her missing front tooth making her smile even more adorable.  _

_ He smiles warmly down at her from the doorway, touched by her words. This little girl has him completely wrapped around her little finger, and she knows it. He wouldn’t have it any other way, though. “I love you too, sweetheart.” _

_ Making his way from the room, he smiles to himself, wishing Regina could find a way to keep their children small forever.  _

Shaking his head and avoiding the lump growing in his throat, he makes his way over to Sophie. Robin takes Neal’s place as Regina comes to stand on the other side of their daughter and Snow takes a few pictures for them. They all switch places, Regina taking pictures for the Charmings before they are kissing their kids goodbye and sending them off to the prom. 

Later that night, after a quiet meal, some good wine, and a few tears shed from both of them over the photo albums Regina had pulled out where they could reminisce over all three of their children and how grown up they’ve become, they settle into the living room.

Robin turns on some soft music, walking over to Regina and gently closing the photo album she’s still teary eyed over. He reaches out, saying, “M’lady.”

She smiles up at him brightly, taking his hand and allowing him to walk her to the center of the room. 

“She looked beautiful,” he whispers to her, swinging her body into his. Regina’s head comes to rest on his chest as she hums in agreement. “You did a great job with her hair.”

Tilting her head back, Regina smirks, claiming, “I used to style mine like that in the Enchanted Forest.”

Chuckling, Robin spins Regina around. She curls back into his embrace and they spend the next few minutes letting the music soothe their aching hearts. “I can’t believe she leaves next month,” Regina says sadly, looking up at him with fresh tears in her eyes. “All of our babies are grown up now.”

Giving her a empathetic look, Robin twitches his lip up on one side, then leans down, running his nose against the length of hers. She turns into the gesture, motioning her face upward like a kitten who is begging for another back rub. He dots a kiss to the tip of her nose before resting his forehead against her own. 

Regina sighs, talking softly about Henry and Roland, letting him know they were both coming home next weekend to visit. 

“That’ll be excellent,” he says, “Having all three of them here will be nice.”

His wife smiles up at him, nodding in agreement. The song ends as does their swaying, and Robin leads Regina to the couch.

They curl up together, Regina’s legs pulled up onto the cushions so she’s cuddled into his side. He smiles down at her, loving how they haven’t changed in all these years. 

Things in Storybrooke may have settled, no more villains or monsters after them all, but Regina is still the same woman he fell in love with so many years ago. Their hair may have started to gray, but they still have that fire and passion between them (Snow often making jokes that they’d be the ones to end up pregnant once all their kids went off to college). 

He loves his wife, and he hopes their deep affection for one another never fizzles out. As Regina reaches up, scratching at his chest and leaning up for another kiss, he thinks to himself that he doesn’t think it ever will. 

{**********************}

_ Thoughts? :) _


	6. A Bit of Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin Locksley and Regina Mills are feuding neighbors who realize just how influential their opinions of one another have been for their sons.

**Saturday: “A Bit of Trouble”**

_ Prompt #185: Robin and Regina are neighbors who can’t stand each other _

_ Prompt #199: Henry and Roland have a fight _

 

She’s never liked her neighbor, that smug Robin Locksley. And he’s never liked her - which suits Regina Mills just fine. 

God, he infuriates her. He always has the biggest and brightest, most garish Christmas decorations lighting up half the neighborhood alone with his house. He always has friends coming over for get togethers - Fourth of July (Why does he even have a party for that? He’s British!), Labor Day... any holiday they have off of work, really. They grill out in his backyard, swim in his pool, and make all kinds of noise. It’s annoying. 

Her house, as large as it is, is always empty. It’s just her and her son, Henry. Her parents come over on Sundays for a nice,  _ quiet _ family lunch. But that’s it. No parties, no friends. It’s peaceful… lonely… but she enjoys her life. 

She does well to avoid Robin Locksley most of the time, but today was not one of those days. She’d gotten a call from Henry’s school saying he’d been in a fight. 

“A  _ what _ ?” she’d yelled into the phone, promising the principal she was on her way over. 

When she arrives, however, Robin is sitting in the lobby as well. He’s in charcoal slacks and a blue button up, and fuck, why does he have to be so handsome? It’d be much easier to hate him if he wasn’t so good looking all the time. But every time he opens his big mouth, she’s reminded that looks aren’t everything. 

“What are you doing here?” she asks with a curl to her lip.

Robin sighs, rolling his eyes as he explains that his son was in a fight and they needed him to come right away. 

Odd, she thinks. Surely Henry didn’t fight his son. What would the chances be?

They’re both called back to the principal’s office at the same time, and Robin eyes her up and down disdainfully, mumbling he should’ve known it’d be  _ her _ son to pick a fight with his. 

“Who says Henry started the fight? Your son clearly sees the wild behavior you display so often, what with all your parties and ludacris music blaring in the backyard. He probably picked on my poor son.”

“Roland wouldn’t do that,” he declares protectively. She looks over at him, noticing for the first time just how blue his eyes are. She’s never really taken the time to look at him closely, but she’ll give him credit, he is handsome, and seems like a protective father. Even though his son obviously started the fight. 

They settle into the chairs across from Principal Nolan’s desk, and he looks at them thoughtfully. Henry and Roland are sitting on a couch just to their left, and Mr. Nolan asks the boys if one of them would like to explain what happened. 

She sees both of their heads sink lower toward their chests in shame, and she calls Henry’s name. “What happened?”

Her son stands, making his way over to her. He stands beside Regina’s chair, looking over her shoulder at their next door neighbor. “Roland kept looking at my paper during the math test, and - ”

“Nuh-uh!” Roland shouts in interruption, standing up from the couch and walking over to Robin indignantly. “I was  _ not _ looking at his paper, Papa. I’m good at Math, why would I need to cheat?!”

“Because I’m smarter than you!” Henry shouts, and Regina tilts her head, taking Henry’s arm and tugging gently to get his attention.

She reprimands him, telling him,  _ We don’t accuse people of things we don’t have proof of _ .

Henry has the sense to look ashamed, but still continues with his story. Roland goes to interrupt again, but Robin shushes him, saying that he needs to let Henry get his side of the story out first and then he can tell his side. 

Regina rolls her eyes over at Robin, then turns back to her son. Henry tells the room how they were taking a math test, and, “Mrs. Nolan moved our seats around for the test. She didn’t want us next to our regular neighbors incase people were used to looking at their friends’ papers.”

He looks over to Roland, giving him a mean look, cutting his eyes over at him. Regina is surprised; her son never acts like this with anyone. 

“So I was taking my test, and the next thing I know, Roland is leaned back, looking at my paper!”

“No, I wasn’t!” Roland scoffs, standing up from where he’s settled into Robin’s lap. 

Robin pulls him back down, shushing him. Regina takes Henry’s hand, patting it gently, and pulling him into her lap as well before turning to face Robin and Roland. 

“Roland,” she says, giving him a warm smile. “Why don’t you tell us what happened?”

Robin gives her a thankful look, and she finds herself smiling at him for some reason. 

Roland takes in a deep breath, recounting the same information Henry had given about their teacher moving seats around before the test. “We were on problem number six. It was just adding two numbers - you know I know how to do that, Papa!” he exclaims, looking as upset as a seven year old can for being accused of something he swears he didn’t do. “I leaned back to stretch - I was tired!” he declares as if he’s on trial, and Regina can’t help but to hold back her chuckle at how innocent he looks with his curly brown hair flopping against his forehead as he looks between all the adults in the room.

“I was just leaning back and yawning, and then Henry started tattling on me.”

He goes on saying how Henry stood up, yelling that it wasn’t fair that he had to sit next to Roland. He didn’t like him and now he’s cheating off of his test. Roland admits that he stood up too, defending himself and claiming he wasn’t cheating. 

“Then what happened, Henry?” Principal Nolan asks. Regina looks down at Henry who looks embarrassed, and it starts to click in her mind. Her son  _ did _ start the fight. 

“Henry?” she asks in disbelief, stroking his hair out of his face.

Tears well up in her little boy’s eyes as he says he hit Roland in the arm, “But then he hit me back!”

Regina and Robin glance at one another before looking back to their children, both scolding their sons for using physical violence to try and solve a problem. 

The principal speaks up then, claiming, “My wife stepped in before it could go any further, of course, but this is the first time either boy has been involved in something like this.” Both she and Robin nod and Mr. Nolan explains, “We figured it was best to have both of you come in and discuss it before writing the boys up.”

“Are they going to be written up?” Regina inquires with concern. This is a private school, and there is a no violence policy. If Henry is written up, it could go on his record and follow him until he graduates. He could be expelled, he could…

“No, ma’am,” the principal assures. “Mrs. Nolan figured talking with you and Mr. Locksley might be good enough of a punishment for the boys.”

Regina sighs, nodding in agreement. “Yes, thank you.”

They speak with Mr. Nolan for a few more minutes, discussing possible meetings with the school counselor for the boys, and Regina and Robin both agree that it could help.

As they exit the school, Robin and Roland going one way, while she and Henry walk to her car in the opposite direction, she can’t help but glare at her neighbor one more time.

Once home, she fixes Henry dinner, talking to him all throughout about how violence is not the answer. “You should never put your hands on someone else, Henry,” she scolds as she picks up his dinner plate.

Walking over to the sink, she hears him agree with a sad,  _ Yes, ma’am _ . 

“Why did you hit him anyway? You could have just told the teacher.”

Henry huffs, coming to stand beside her in the kitchen. Henry tells her how he doesn’t like Roland, how he’s  _ so annoying _ in class, always blurting out instead of raising his hand, and talking too loudly during group times. “I hate Roland.”

“Henry,” she reprimands in disbelief. “Don’t say that. That’s not nice.”

“Well you hate Roland’s dad,” he states it so matter-of-factly that it almost knocks Regina off her feet. Has she done this? Is this all her fault? She never thought she bad mouthed Robin that much in front of her son that it would rub off and turn into  _ this.  _ Sure, she’s made comments here or there about the constant flow of friends visiting or the music, but she always tries to keep her disdain for the neighbors to herself.

Regina sighs, wrapping her arms around Henry’s little shoulders and leading him upstairs to get ready for bed. “I don’t  _ hate _ Robin,” she explains. “He’s just… different… from me.”

Henry changes into his pajamas and climbs in bed, asking question after question, wondering if being different is a bad thing. His question puts her in her place, and she is filled with guilt. “No, sweetheart,” she says solemnly. “You’re right. Being different from someone isn’t a bad thing.”

She apologizes, telling him, “I’m sorry I set a bad example for you. You should treat everyone fairly, no matter how different they are from you, okay?”

Henry nods in agreement, yawning and saying he’ll apologize to Roland on Monday. She smiles gently, lovingly looking down at her son as he drifts off to sleep. She leans in, placing a kiss to his cheek and pulling the covers over his chest. As he finally falls asleep, Regina sits there, watching him and thinking over her actions the last few months. 

Robin annoys her, of course. But why? Because he has friends? She sighs when she realizes that she might actually be jealous of him and how fun his life seems. They have a pool in their backyard as well, but no one ever comes over to swim. She and Henry just paddle around in it during the summer. Henry has struggled to make friends since starting school last year, and she now wonders if that’s her doing. Her mother never allowed her to associate with others at school, isolating her from people Regina could have been friends with. She always vowed she’d be different when she was able to leave home, and she was, for a time. She’d made friends in college, met Neal, gotten married and had Henry. Once Neal left, though, she knows she clammed up, curling back inside herself where things were safe. You couldn’t get hurt if you never let anyone in. 

Henry said he’d apologize on Monday, and isn’t that such a typical seven year old for you? They hold no grudges. She wouldn’t be surprised if he and Roland are best friends by the end of next week. God, she envies that. Wishes apologizing could be just as simple as an adult. 

Making her way from his bedroom, she decides to be the bigger person. Robin Locksley will surely never apologize for how awfully they’ve treated each other (she’s still bitter about him reporting her to the neighborhood council for leaving a Christmas wreath up a week after the date to take down decorations had passed). There’d also been the time that he insinuated she had no friends. She was complaining to him about all the noise his band of merry men had created the day before at one of their get togethers, and he told her she wouldn’t be so bitter about it  _ If she had any friends to invite over _ . That one had stung, but she pushes it from her mind as she makes her way out of her front door.

She will go next door and apologize even if it kills her.

{*************************}

Guilt had consumed him earlier, realizing he’d set a terrible example for his son. This feud with Regina Mills has gone on far too long. 

Sure, he knows it all started when she rejected him. He’d tried to ask her out his first week in the neighborhood, and she had coldly shot him down, saying she didn’t have time for  _ things like that _ , and ever since then, she’s been a pain in his ass. 

She always complains, whether it’s to him or the neighborhood council, about his parties - not that he has wild, crazy parties like he did back in college. He’s an adult now, with a child. His ‘parties’ are just get togethers with his buddies from college, along with their wives and children. The kids all play in the pool while he grills hamburgers and hotdogs for his friends. They sit around and drink beer while the kids run and play and have a good time. He’d tried inviting Regina once, but her nose had turned so far up in the air that he never tried again. Cold bitch.

But now it’s gone too far. Roland, his sweet son, had resorted to hitting someone. Something he’s  _ never _ taught him to do. He knows now that he’s set a bad example; Roland has overheard him one too many times bad-mouthing the neighbor to his best friend, John, apparently. 

He’d just finished tucking Roland into bed when he decided to be the bigger person and apologize. When he opens his door, though, he spies Regina making her way over.

She is wrapped in a long cardigan, waring off the breeze of the night. Her hair is a little windblown, and he can’t help but think how cute she looks. Damn it. It would be so much easier to hate her if she wasn’t so gorgeous. 

“Hey,” he calls out when she gets closer. They’re standing in between their driveways, on neutral territory it would seem.

“Hey,” she says, shrugging her shoulders like she doesn’t care. “What are you doing out here?”

He grins, his dimples popping on his cheeks. He sees her eyes go down to them, and huh, that’s interesting. “I was actually coming to talk… to apologize. What are you doing out here?”

She huffs, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “Actually…” she trails off, eyes sliding to the side as if saying the words physically pains her. “The same.”

They stand there, gazes locked. He wonders for a second how long they could do this - they’re both clearly just as stubborn as the other, and he doesn’t know who will crack first. 

“Yeah?” he says, smirking down at her.

Regina rolls her eyes, a habit she seems to have formed around him. “Don’t be smug.”

Robin holds his hands up in surrender, saying he’s not smug. “It’s just nice to not be fighting for once.”

She bites down on the plump lip he’s thought about more often than he’d like to admit, and then tells him that she realized tonight that she’s been setting a horrible example for her son. “I don’t want him to think it’s okay to treat people like that.”

Robin nods in agreement, saying he had the same realization. “Truce?” he asks, shrugging a shoulder up and sticking his hand out to shake on it. 

Regina takes a moment, clearly thinking it over, a small grin twists on her lips and he can see how hard she fights to keep it at bay. “Truce.” She reaches out, not quite connecting with his, so he takes a small step, accepting her hand and shaking it as if they’ve just completed a business deal. 

They talk for a few minutes, eventually deciding to stop being so hard on each other. She won’t complain about his get togethers, because,  _ They’re not actually that bad. Your friends never stay too late _ . And he vows to not pick on the little things, claiming, “Your wreath was actually quite cute with the snowman on it.”

She huffs, saying she’d been working late that whole week and it just slipped her mind. He feels bad for it; he really hadn’t  _ cared _ about the wreath. In all honesty, he was jealous she got to keep hers up past the removal date. He loves Christmas, and if he could’ve left up his lights for an extra week, he would’ve been so happy. Robin apologizes, though, and explains why he did it. It’s just one of the  _ many _ things he’s done to annoy her on purpose, but saying I’m sorry for that one thing is a nice place to start. 

Once he explains himself, she smiles - an actual genuine one this time - and seems to relax. “Seems like we’ve just been misunderstanding each other.”

He nods, saying that seems pretty obvious now. 

“How about you and Roland come over for lunch tomorrow?” she questions, a little sheepish. “Maybe we can sit the boys down together and let them talk things out.”

They agree on a time and say goodnight, Robin completely surprised, but pleased, at how pleasant that conversation had gone. 

He walks inside, locking the door and turning out the lights. And as he climbs into bed, he can’t help but fall asleep with thoughts of how nice Regina Mills might actually be floating in his head.

{***************************}

The next day, Regina greets Robin and Roland at the door. They’re right on time, which she appreciates - not like they had far to go to get here, anyway. 

She makes lunch, homemade pizza, which has all three boys drooling, and she has to admit that it went well. Robin is great with his son and seems to genuinely care about his well being. He’s also being nice to her, which is strange, but a pleasant change. She finds herself relaxing more and more throughout lunch. By the time it’s over, they’ve had the boys talk freely about what happened, and they both end up apologizing to one another.

Before long, the whole incident seems to be forgotten as Henry tells Roland he has video games in his room they can play. 

“You have a TV  _ in _ your room!?” Roland shouts animatedly as the boys run upstairs.

Regina chuckles under her breath, calling up to remind them not to play for too long. She’s met with twin,  _ Yes, ma’am’s,  _ before she makes her way back to the kitchen where she’d left Robin.

The sight before her makes her stop in her tracks. His back is facing her as he washes the pizza pan she’d cooked on earlier. She swallows watching the muscles in his back ripple at the action. 

Pull yourself together, she scolds herself, licking her lips and pulling herself from her thoughts. 

One peaceful afternoon with this man doesn’t change everything. 

Clearing her throat, she walks further into the room. He looks over at her, grinning. “I hope it’s alright that I started cleaning this,” he says, motioning his head toward the pan. 

She smiles gratefully, telling him it’s fine. “I appreciate it.”

“It’s the least I could do after you cooked such an amazing meal,” he claims sincerely, popping his hip out to bounce against hers.

She realizes then just how closely they are standing, and she takes a small step back. Robin has always been like that, always so much more comfortable around her than she is around him. He’s the type of person that just assumes everyone is their friend. 

Regina has never experienced that - growing up with a mother who always forced her to debutante shindigs and nights at the country club - she never had the chance to rub elbows with people and get to know them. Everyone in her life has always been just a little… fake. Pretentious.

After he turns the water off and dries his hands, they make their way into the living room. He looks around at the pictures on her mantle, commenting on how cute Henry was as a baby. 

She thanks him, saying she’s positive Roland was just as cute. “He’s beyond adorable now, so I can only imagine what he must’ve been like as a baby.”

Robin smiles proudly, pulling out a picture from his wallet. It’s a photograph of a beautiful brunette woman holding a tiny, chubby baby that is obviously Roland. “I was right,” she giggles, “even cuter then!”

She takes a moment to look at the picture, leaning in closer to see the details before asking, “Is that Roland’s mother?”

A sad look crosses his features, and she immediately regrets asking. She apologizes, saying he doesn’t have to talk about it if he doesn’t want to. 

He waves her off, walking toward the couch when she gestures to it and telling her about his Marian and how much she loved Roland. “This is actually the last picture taken of the two of them,” he says somberly, but with a small smile on his face. They settle onto the sofa, Regina bringing her legs up under her as her arm lays across the back of the cushions. Her mind quickly imagines what it would be like to run her fingers across his shoulder, but she pushes those thoughts away for now. 

Robin briefly recounts the accident that took her life when Roland was eight months old, and she gives him her sympathies, saying she knows how hard it is to lose someone you love. She lost her father when she was pregnant with Henry and didn’t think she’d ever recover. 

He reaches over, taking her hand in his for a short second, asking, “What about Henry’s father?”

She twists her lips, trying not to speak so ill of Henry’s dad, but when you bail out two years after your kid is born, it’s hard not to. So Regina sighs, waving her hand in the air. “Henry’s father isn’t around. He couldn’t handle the pressure of being a father… or being with me, I’m not really sure anymore… so he left when Henry was two.”

Robin shakes his head, apologizing. “Some men are shit.”

She laughs at that unexpected reply but agrees. Regina smiles over at him and well, since he’s already touched her, she supposes they’re at that level, so her arm settles back against the back of the couch, her finger tips scratching at his shoulder playfully. He smiles over at her, those dimples of his making her knees weak, and she asks if he’d like to watch some television while the boys play upstairs. 

“Sounds good,” he says, giving her a wink before stretching his feet out in front of him and crossing one ankle over the other. His head leans back against the cushions, right where her fingers are, and she grins, teasingly sliding them out slowly so they graze through the hair at the back of his neck. 

Regina catches his eye as she leans toward the table to grab the remote, and she has to bite back the girly grin blossoming on her face.

As they watch some mindless show about people who won the lottery and want bigger houses, they talk and get to know one another. 

She realizes Robin Locksley isn’t so bad afterall, and she tells him that in a moment of honesty. 

He laughs, patting her on the knee and agreeing, saying, “I’ve been pleasantly surprised today as well.”

They stare at one another longer than they should, but his blue eyes are mesmerizing. It’s like she’s in a daze and can’t pull herself out. He’s been subtly flirting with her all afternoon, and she knows she’s been giving it right back. 

Their banter is easy, and the conversation is great. They even make plans for the boys to hang out again. 

“Maybe you and Henry can come over and swim next weeked,” Robin suggests, turning to look into her brown eyes. 

“That sounds lovely,” she decides, giving him a nod. “For the boys.”

Smiling, Robin nods, breathing out a satisfied,  _ Of course _ .

A little while later, the boys come bounding down the stairs and Regina slides a touch further away from him on the sofa, realizing just how closely they’d drawn together since they sat down. Henry and Roland chatter on about how they each won a round of the game, and after talking with their sons for a little while, the adults decide it’s time for them to part ways. The kids moan and complain, which makes Regina laugh. Clearly one afternoon together has been enough for their fight to be forgotten. 

Robin tells them of their pool plans next weekend, and the boys cheer, hugging each other as Roland and Robin make their way back home.

Before they go, Robin leans in, pressing a friendly kiss to Regina’s cheek, making her face flush. She smiles softly as he speaks lowly, adding, “Bring your bathing suit, too,” with a flirtatious wink.

She grins, rolling her eyes much more playfully at him than she’s done in the past. This… whatever it is… between them now can only mean trouble. But Regina’s always secretly liked a little bit of trouble. 

{*************************}

_ Thoughts? :) _


	7. Thrown Into Love

**Sunday: “Thrown into Love”**

_ Prompt #39. Regina is thrown from her horse, Robin is the one who helps her _

_ Prompt #43. Bedsharing  _

_ Prompt #99. The Merry Men accept Regina into their group _

_ Prompt #114. “I just want to see you smile.” _

 

“Why did you let me stay?” Regina asks, reaching up to stroke Robin’s scruff covered jaw. 

He smiles dopily down at her before staring off into the distance, as if lost in thought. She returns the smile, forever grateful that he not only rescued her ten months ago when she’d been thrown from her horse in a mad attempt to escape her mother’s tight reign, but grateful that he’d let her stay. They’d  _ all _ let her stay - his merry men had welcomed her with open arms into their little family once they’d gathered around the dwindling fire for breakfast her second day there and she’d told them about Cora and how she was trying to marry her off to the king. 

Her beau, Daniel, had just been killed by her mother in their stables. The image of his body falling to the ground as his heart was crushed to dust still haunts her dreams at night. As soon as her mother had stormed off, leaving Regina to sob over his dead body, she’d grabbed the nearest horse - Rocinante, her favorite gift her father had ever given her - and dashed from the stables, rushing into the cool air of the night as tears streamed down her face. 

_ It was raining, droplets stinging her cheeks as she raced through the trees. She could almost hear Cora’s maniacal laughter, pleased with her plan to destroy Regina’s happiness and make her the queen. Regina knew King Leopold was there to find a wife, knew her mother was more than willing to give her away in order to provide the lifestyle she’d always dreamt of.  _

_ But that wasn’t what Regina wanted.  _

_ She wanted love, and happiness… and freedom. She wanted to be free, to not be torn down by her mother’s words, but built up by someone else’s. Daniel had given her that. He loved her, and she loved, still loves, him.  _

_ Watching him die had been the hardest thing Regina has ever gone through. Images of his warm, blue eyes turning cold and rolling to the back of his head flash before her eyes, and she smacks the reins against Rocinante even harder, pushing him through the approaching storm.  _

_ She didn’t know how far her mother’s magic could reach, wasn’t sure if she’d even be able to leave the outskirts of her family’s land, but she had to try. She had to get away. _

_ After an hour of running Rocinante ragged, he’d finally had enough. He began slowing down, but Regina’s tears and frustration at what her life had become tore her attention from her trusty steed, and she pushed him further - yelling his name and clamping her boots against his belly to push him further. The brown mare made it a little bit further before turning against her, just like everyone in her life had ever done, and reared back, kicking his front legs in protest to the exertion she was demanding of him.  _

_ Regina gripped the reins, trying to hold on, but it was no use. She was flung from Rocinante’s back, screaming into the darkness of the night as her back hit the mud beneath her.  _

_ Rolling onto her side, she coughs, rain and tears spewing from her mouth as she reaches up to swipe at her face.  _

_ She groans, twisting her back and reaching around to rub at the soreness. Before she can move even further, a large hand reaches down. “M’lady, you’re injured.” _

_ “I prefer Regina,” she says defiantly, glaring up at the man, “And I’m fine.” She’s not, not really anyway. Her back is sore, she knows her skin will bruise by morning, and she’s pretty sure she can feel blood trickling down her arm beneath her dark green cloak. But she’s angry, not at this stranger, but at the world. At anyone who will listen and let her be mad.  _

_ The man smirks at her, a hint of amusement in his eyes as he says, “Of course,” but still offers his hand out in assistance. _

_ Sighing, she reaches up, grunting and screwing up her face in agony as she’s made to stand on her feet. The man senses her discomfort and reaches out, asking if he can carry her. “Just over to my horse,” he juts his head, signaling to the black mare behind him.  _

_ Regina nods, huffing in frustration at not being able to walk properly. “I’m Robin, by the way,” he says, reaching both arms out to sweep her into his embrace. “Robin Hood, at your service.” _

_ He smiles, and she can’t help but to smile softly back, thankful that he was here to help her. He walks the few steps to his steed, placing her atop it before hopping on behind her, wrapping his arms around her as he guides the horse to his camp. _

They’d ridden to the Merry Men’s camp, not far from where she’d been thrown, Rocinante tied to Robin’s horse and following behind diligently. 

It was late when they arrived, most of the camp bunkered down in their tents to avoid the rain still coming down. It’d let up some, allowing a handful of his men to stand guard at the entrances without being drenched. There were a few men finishing a late dinner who gave Robin a strange look when he entered with a woman on his horse. 

He’d dismounted from his steed, helping her down and letting Regina lean into his side so she didn’t have to put pressure on her injured foot. 

Robin led her to a large tent, lowering her down onto a bed covered in furs. 

_ “I’ll go get the healer,” he tells her, confirming that she can make herself comfortable.  _

_ She gives him an uneasy smile, unsure how to be comfortable in the place like this. She’d grown up in nothing short of a palace built for nobility. She didn’t even know if she’d be able to sleep on this kind of bed.  _

_ Robin re-enters a few minutes later with a woman behind him. The older woman, whom Robin just introduces as Granny, smiles warmly down at her, assuring Regina that she’s there to help. _

_ Granny spends the next half hour helping Regina into more comfortable clothes. She has to wear an oversized tunic of Robin’s that was clean and big enough to cover her body almost to her knees. It was shorter than a lady should wear, but the circumstances were dire and her torn dress needed to be removed in order for Granny to place healing herbs to her scrapes.  _

_ The gray-haired woman speaks softly to Regina, telling her it was going to be alright and that she got lucky to not be more injured. She has a large scrape on her forearm and a handful of tiny cuts on her back. The mud thankfully cushioned her fall, helping with not hurting her body even more, though Granny did confirm what she already knew - she would be bruised come morning.  _

_ Once Granny leaves, leaving some clean strips of cloth for Regina to clean her arm with later, Robin enters again.  _

_ He has a sheepish look in his eyes, and she questions him on it.  _

_ “This, uh,” he clears his throat, gesturing to the tent they are in, “is my tent. So,” he trails off, twisting his lips. “I don’t mean to impose, but you see, the rain is coming down harder, and I have nowhere else to go.” _

_ He explains that all his other men are either married so their tents are full with spouses and children or they don’t have a tent large enough to fit two grown men.  _

_ Her eyes widen, feeling guilty for taking his bed without even questioning who it belonged it. “Oh,” she states shyly, “I’m sorry.” She goes to push herself up, mumbling that she can find somewhere else to sleep. _

_ Robin looks up, shaking his head vehemently. “No, no, no.” He holds out his hands, walking over to her to gently press on her shoulders, laying her back into the bed. “I just meant I will have to sleep over there.” He points to a smaller bed, one she hadn’t noticed until just now. _

_ She gives him a wary look, and he chuckles, explaining, “It’s my son’s.” He informs her of his boy, Roland, and how he’d begged earlier to spend the night with his Uncle John. “Lucky for me, though, now his bed is free for me to sleep in.” _

_ Smiling timidly, Regina tucks her hair behind her ear, telling him that’s fine. “I wouldn’t want you to sleep out in the rain.” _

_ They share a soft chuckle before he climbs awkwardly onto the small cot. It can’t be comfortable, she knows that. The bed is entirely too small for a grown man to sleep on.  _

_ Robin does his best though, curling up into a ball as best he can. Regina watches him for a few seconds, confirming that he’s okay. When he promises her that he is, she closes her eyes and tries to sleep. _

_ The sound of the rain and now thunder in the distance is soothing, but there’s an awkward tension in the air. She assumes its from not knowing one another, yet having to sleep under the same shelter.  _

_ “If you don’t mind… why were you running?” he asks suddenly, interrupting her thoughts. _

_ Sighing, Regina opens her eyes, glancing over to the small bed. He’s got one arm tucked beneath his head like an extra pillow while his other strong arm rests on his stomach. His head is turned, watching her. _

_ Deciding to be honest, she reveals that she was running away from her mother. “She… did something that hurt the man I love, and I just couldn’t be there anymore.” _

_ Her eyes water. She hadn’t thought of Daniel in the last few hours with everything else going on, and now that she’s safe, and warm, and already beginning to heal, memories of him dying in front of her assault her vision. Tears spring to her eyes and she sniffles, reaching up to wipe the tears away.  _

_ Robin looks concerned, sitting up in the cot and asking her what’s wrong. _

_ She waves him off, promising that she’s fine. Clearing her throat, she takes a deep breath, in and out, trying to calm her racing heart.  _

_ After a few moments of silence, he asks her again if everything is alright, and she nods, saying that it is. They lay there, both clearly contemplating the last few minutes. She doesn’t know why, but there’s something about Robin that makes her want to be honest.  _

_ Maybe it’s because he saved her, or how he checked on his men that were still awake when they entered, or the way he’d rushed to get Granny to help her without even really knowing who she was… whatever the reason, she finds herself opening up, saying, “My mother killed him right in front of me. I had to leave.” _

_ She looks over at him, trying to suppress a small bubble of laughter at his shocked expression.  _

_ They spend the next several hours talking - Regina finding out why they lived in tents, how they became to be known as the Merry Men, what they did each day to provide for the poor - it was all very honorable even though they were thieves, and Regina found that she liked it. Admired it, really. _

_ She likes the idea of people like her mother being robbed and having their precious belongings, which they hardly paid any attention to anyway, taken from them to help those in need.  _

_ She’d opened up about her family, her mother in particular, and how she’d always been groomed to be queen. “I never wanted that life, though,” she admits, and Robin stares at her as if he can see into her soul. _

_ “Never wanted to be queen? Isn’t that what all little girls dream of?” _

_ She scoffs bitterly, rolling her eyes. “Maybe some, but not me.” _

_ Regina tells him how growing up in a strict household, having her mother use her magic on her for punishment, and everything else Cora could’ve done to make Regina’s life miserable, made her realize all she wanted in life was to be free. “If I were to ever become queen, or any other type of nobility, there’s no way I could have the freedom to do what I want.” _

_ “And what do you want?” _

_ She thinks for a moment - no one has ever asked her that before. What  _ does _ she want in life? Regina shrugs, letting her teeth sink into her bottom lip. She releases the flesh, sighing out with a small smile growing as she declares, “Love.” _

_ They grin at each other, Robin saying he can understand that. He tells her about his late wife, Marian, and their son, and Regina envies him. She’s jealous of the way he’s gotten to live his life. He’s been able to love and laugh and do what he wants when he wants. It’s a dream for her, really, and she wishes against all hope that she can one day live like that.  _

_ Robin makes mention later in the night, almost morning at this point, that they need some sleep. They bid each other a goodnight, Regina drifting off thinking how she’s never talked to someone so freely before, not even Daniel. It was nice, getting to know someone, and having someone get to know her - the real her.  _

_ She hears Robin sigh, grumbling under his breath as he twists and turns, trying to get comfortable on the tiny cot. After almost an hour of his struggling against his son’s bed, Regina finally huffs, slamming her uninjured arm against the feather filled mattress. “Would you just get up here?”  _

_ He flips onto his left side, brows furrowing as he questions her.  _

_ “Your huffs and groans are keeping us both awake. Just lay on top of the covers, and I’ll stay under.” _

_ She must’ve spoken it with more authority in her voice than she felt, because Robin stands with an unsure look on his face with the little pillow tucked under his arm. He lays down though, sighing in relief when his body is able to stretch out like normal on his bed.  _

_ “Thank you,” he drawls in pleasure, yawning and rolling onto his side, facing away from her.  _

_ She smirks, murmuring a, “You’re welcome,” before closing her eyes and trying to fall asleep.  _

_ It’s hard though, images of Daniel taunt her when she closes her eyes, but the heat from Robin’s body and his soft snores toy with her when her eyes are open. Maybe telling him to share the bed wasn’t such a good idea.  _

She’d woken up the next morning completely embarrassed, later finding out that the healing herbs Granny had used could cause the person to have the same effects as too much alcohol - loose lipped and far too comfortable with her surroundings. 

It’d been funny later, once she’d gotten over the shock of waking up next to a man she’d only met the night before, but their conversation that night had bonded them more than either of them knew. 

That day, she’d met the Merry Men, including the tiniest of them all, Roland. They’d had breakfast before Regina was sent back to the tent per Granny’s instruction to help her heal faster. Roland had made himself comfortable in her presence right away, bringing in a wooden toy of his to play on his papa’s bed while Regina rested. 

And the rest is history. She’d attempted to leave a few days later, claiming she was all better. But Robin and his men refused to let her go back to her mother, jokingly exclaiming that they’d kidnap her before letting her go back there. 

She had chuckled back then, smiling to herself out of giddiness as finally feeling accepted by people. So, she stayed. Robin and John set up a new tent close to his for Regina to live in, and she spent her days learning from Granny and helping to heal the sick. Life was wonderful.

A few months after being there, Robin shyly asked her if it would be alright for him to court her, and she never thought she’d have that again - never thought she’d be lucky enough to have another man show interest in her - but she couldn’t deny him. There was an attraction there, built from an unlikely friendship, that she wanted to explore. Her guilt over Daniel overwhelmed her at points, but Robin had been right there to comfort her, knowing what she was going through from personal experience. 

“You never answered my question,” Regina giggles, tapping Robin on the nose. 

“Hm?”

She rolls her eyes, scooting closer to his body. “I said why did you let me stay?”

Robin smiles once again, biting down on his lower lip. He leans in, pressing a kiss to her lips before wrapping his arm around her and pulling her even closer. “I just want to see you smile all the time,” he replies, grinning. “I couldn’t let you go knowing I’d never seen that gorgeous smile ever again.”

She whacks him in the chest playfully, but secretly touched by his words. Regina kisses him again, beaming into the embrace. She has finally found her place in this world, and she couldn’t feel more content.

She knows it’s only been a little under a year, but it’s months she’ll never forget. Regina has experienced more freedom since coming here, always looking over her shoulder or wondering when her mother will finally find them, but despite the fears, she’s learned to love. And to truly live. 

She’s found a family in Robin, Roland and the Merry Men, and she can’t count how many times she’s thanked the gods above for her running away and being thrown from her horse. Her blue eyed hero has permanently imprinted himself in her heart, and she prays each morning to never lose him.

{************************}

_ Thoughts? :) _


End file.
